Windows to the World

This Isn't Walmart!
Posted by: Ylee, 7:15 AM GMT on October 06, 2012 +4
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Today's Western society is largely consumer driven; people want things, lots of things, and they want it as cheap as possible. Malls, supermarkets, discount chains, and even online retailers, have made shopping mostly efficient and relatively inexpensive, due to sheer economics of scale.

But it didn't used to be that way. Folks who now collect Social Security used to remember a simpler time, when family owned businesses were the norm. Giant corporations squeezed out the vast majority of these mom-and-pop operations, and we are all poorer for it. You could take a short drive or even walk to the local grocer or bookstore, and odds were the owner knew your name, knew what you liked, and threw in a little extra something, just because they appreciated your business. Nowadays, more often than not, you'll run into someone making minimum wage, that has no stake in the business, and couldn't care less if you never came back. Others(me included) make a few clicks and wait for the truck to show up a few days later.

But even now, there still are exceptions. For example, even though most family owned bookstores have gone the way of the dodo, there's still a few out there making a go of it. The one in Maine who owns the cam featured in this blog has gone through the trouble to put their web address on a roof in full cam view! Of course, in China, neighborhood markets are the norm, as well as in Europe, where the city squares still attract vendors with carts selling their wares.



From the Maine Coast Book Shop, the Camerascotta cam!
Click for Damariscotta, Maine Forecast



Thanks to Hi-Fi Do, , the Osu shop cam!
Click for Nagoya Airport, Japan Forecast




From Campi Ya Kanzi, the Live From the Savana cam!
Click for Kilimanjaro, Tanzania Forecast




From Quart-A-Nancy Point, Ltd., the Cooper Island cam!
Click for Beef Island, British Virgin Islands Forecast




Thanks to yangshuoren.com, the Cafe China cam!
Click for Guilin, Guangxi Forecast




From Milos, Greece, the Pollonia cam!
Click for Milos, Greece Forecast




Courtesy of TroyLeslie, the feeder cam!
Click for Dallas, North Carolina Forecast




Courtesy on New Zealands' Horizons Regional Council, the Akitio cam!
Click for Palmerston North, New Zealand Forecast




From Stadt Bensheim,, the market square cam!
Click for Coleman, Germany Forecast




Thanks to UCLA's Department of Physics & Astronomy, the Mount Wilson Observatory cam!
Click for Mount Wilson, California Forecast




From Northwoods Canoe Company, the canoeshopcam!
Click for Atkinson, Maine Forecast
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Reader Comments
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151. sandiquiz 11:27 AM GMT on October 21, 2012    
Milos is still down

Yup, that poor bird has been hanging in the sky for the last six hours!!
Member Since: October 29, 2005 Posts: 254 Comments: 22597
152. Ylee 11:46 AM GMT on October 21, 2012    
Sandi, all of my regulars and semi regulars are out of commission; what's next, the feeder cam? :P

Everybody have a great Sunday; I'll be back tonight!
Member Since: February 3, 2011 Posts: 67 Comments: 11536
153. plapman 12:24 PM GMT on October 21, 2012    
Good morning Ylee.
When the military build something they want it to last forever no matter what the conditions.
Enjoy your night ast work.
Member Since: August 18, 2006 Posts: 2305 Comments: 7021
154. Ylee 12:55 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
Good evening! Everything at work is whacked out,and the Cardinals are getting whupped! Aside from that, everything's great! :)

Might get the new blog done tonight; we'll see!

Hi, Tony! Don't know about enjoying work, but hopefully it'll be over quick! :)
Member Since: February 3, 2011 Posts: 67 Comments: 11536
155. RobDaHood 1:18 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
Wow, that wasn't much of a break!
Barely time for a meal and a quick nap.
Member Since: September 2, 2008 Posts: 80 Comments: 26367
156. Ylee 1:34 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
It was 12 hrs., which is the normal schedule! :)
Member Since: February 3, 2011 Posts: 67 Comments: 11536
157. calpoppy 1:50 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
Go Giants!!! :))))
Member Since: February 18, 2008 Posts: 34 Comments: 2493
158. shoreacres 1:52 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
Evening, Ylee,

Sure do like that new avatar. I think it's maybe not that new, but it's nice. I stopped by on my nightly hunt for a raccoon at the feeder cam, but still no luck. Has anyone ever seen one? I can't believe they aren't around - maybe we're just missing them. I know they eat corn - that's not the problem. Who knows? Maybe they've all moved to the suburbs, where the living is easy!

I don't know if I'll get it done, but I'm way too proud of myself for getting started on a CD of my favorite travel music for this week. I found a great youtube-to-mp3 converter, and have a few done already. Now all I have to do is get an audio cd or dvd - whatever - and burn the music to it. One step at a time. But I found The Flatlanders' version of White Freightliner - I think it ought to do very well for the Oklahoma turnpike! The best thing about traveling alone is I can turn up the music as loud as I want - and now that I've got a good sound system, I intend to enjoy it!

Hope your evening goes fast. Be back later to look for the raccoons. ;)
Member Since: October 4, 2004 Posts: 196 Comments: 14841
159. Ylee 2:00 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
Cal, all I can say is pppppptht! :)

Shore, you'd have to get up early if you want to see any coons; my experience has them appearing most often about 3AM, although they have appeared at almost anytime, day or night! Come to think of it, it has been a while since I've seen one!

Gotta go find an East Hemisphere cam for the blog; BBL!
Member Since: February 3, 2011 Posts: 67 Comments: 11536
160. traumaboyy 5:47 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
Yes I remember your excellent blog about the volcanos and Milos....was just looking extra pretty that morning for some reason!! Looks windy and cloudy this morning!!
Member Since: August 18, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 2202
161. Skyepony (Mod) 5:49 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
Hey Ylee~ Loving the world tour:)
Member Since: August 10, 2005 Posts: 145 Comments: 29949
162. sandiquiz 9:39 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
Morning Ylee, happy Monday :-)

Zebra at the water hole and white topped rollers in Milos! Must be windy!
Member Since: October 29, 2005 Posts: 254 Comments: 22597
163. GardenGrrl 9:56 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
G'Morning. Zebras and flowers in the square, it's a beautiful day on the world cams. One question; on the China cam, anyone know where they found a striped bedsheet that large?
Could be the Asian version of blue tarps or visqueen. I like it. Much more cheery after a disaster.
Member Since: March 25, 2007 Posts: 220 Comments: 7361
164. WunderAlertBot (Admin) 11:06 AM GMT on October 22, 2012    
Ylee has created a new entry.

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